Johnson County to end management contract with KCATA. Here’s what that means for riders
Johnson County commissioners on Thursday voted to end an agreement with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, returning day-to-day management transit services back to the county.
In a unanimous vote, the county will end the interlocal agreement with KCATA for the management of transit services in Johnson County effective Aug. 1 and establish its own transit division within its public works department.
The new transit division will eventually consist of five full time equivalent positions funded through the cancellation of the contract with KCATA. The county currently pays an annual management fee of $584,000.
“It will be transparent to the ridership,” Scott Neufeld, bureau chief with the Johnson County manager’s office told commissioners.
Johnson County Transit will remain part of the regional RideKC brand and will continue to partner with KCATA in transit planning and coordination. The administrative decision will not impact riders.
The county views this as a positive move for both organizations, said Ed Eilert, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners.
“The county desires to remain a part of the RideKC system and brand, and fully expects to partner with the KCATA in a positive manner for all regional transit initiatives, grant requests and coordination efforts,” he said in a news release.
In November, commissioners authorized $15.2 million in new transit pilot programs, funded with Federal Transit Administration COVID relief grants.
The funds are allowing Johnson County to expand micro transit services, to add some routes and tighten up some existing routes as well as expand the hours and the days that it provides services, Neufeld said.
Johnson County has provided public transit services beginning with Commuteride in 1982. The transit services began operating as “The JO” in 1986. The JO took over transit services from KCATA which served Johnson County until 1981.
The county entered an agreement with KCATA in 2014 to assume management duties of Johnson County Transit. That same year, KCATA began rebranding the public transportation system in the Kansas City metropolitan area as RideKC. Johnson County Transit then adopted the RideKC brand.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Johnson County to end management contract with KCATA. Here’s what that means for riders."
